LA's Best Places to Drink Outdoors

Because you’ve already made your way through all the best pool bars and restaurants with killer patios (you have, right?), we decided to hook you up with even more excellent places where you can soak up our nearly year-round, gorgeous weather. From massive beer gardens to classy rooftops, here are all of the places you should be drinking outdoors right now.

Hollywood

Head to the breezy, recently opened rooftop of the Hollywood outpost of this Paris-based hotel chain for stunning, panoramic views, colorful couches for lounging, and film-inspired cocktails like the appropriately named Fiddler on the Roof with rum, Ancho Reyes, grapefruit, and pomegranate. If you’re feeling the competitive spirit, hit the foosball table, and if you’re in need of a bite, the Mediterranean menu is worth investigating. Brought the crew? Order up a pitcher (or two!) of sangria. Plus, you can also catch DJs on Thurs-Sun nights, drag queen bingo (!) on Saturday afternoons, and classic movie screenings later in the summer.

Arts District

Besides offering great live music inside, the sprawling, Austin-inspired beer garden of this Arts District newcomer is the perfect place to lounge away a few hours. Order top-notch cocktails and quality brews from the converted Airstream trailer and grab a picnic bench or cozy nook amongst the succulents. And if you’re in need of grub, you’ll usually find a food truck parked directly across from the bar.

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San Pedro

If you haven’t yet made your way down to the impressive, 17,000sqft courtyard of this new Belgian-inspired brewery, your life is about to take a huge turn for the better. From Wednesday through Sunday, head to their also massive warehouse brewery, where you can order up quality brews like the popular Dog Ate My Homework blackberry saison or the new Popfuji pilsner and make your way out to the picnic tables outside. You’ll also find a rotating selection of food trucks out there (usually one during the week, two on the weekends), and once a month in the summer they host a huge blowout, with local bands (including heroes like Mike Watt) taking the stage amid tons of food trucks.

Highland Park

This craft beer haven delivers big with a spacious back patio with plenty of picnic benches, a giant shuffleboard setup, and Wii projected on the wall. How are your virtual bowling skills after a couple IPAs? Only one way to find out. Besides the extensive beer lineup, they also serve up frosty margarita slushies, wine, and more. You’ll often find tasty bites from their pop-up food cart back there or you can bring your own eats from outside. Party on.

Venice

After 70 years, this beachside institution recently got a much-needed facelift and thankfully managed to keep the fun and nautical charm in tact. Make your way up to the second floor patio bar, where you’ll find killer ocean views and a great selection of craft cocktails, craft beers, and wine, plus an excellent, market-fresh food lineup. Oh, and you’ll definitely want to stick around for the sunset, which is always extraordinary.

Silver Lake

Head upstairs to the partially covered biergarten of this decades-old Eastside favorite for liter steins of great German beers, giant pretzels, and plenty of brats. Feeling particularly thirsty? That massive boot of beer has your name all over it. Prost!

Pasadena

Tucked down an unassuming alley, this pup-friendly patio is a well-shaded spot to sip frosty brews and chow on some supremely tasty sausages and wieners. You’ll find a rotating selection of craft brews (available in pints, half liters, and liters), a decent wine selection, and a full bar. Save a few bucks during weekday happy hours (Mon-Fri, 3pm-6pm), reverse happy hours (Mon-Thurs, 10pm-12am) or spend some quality time with the bar’s Sunday Funday deals with food and drink specials from 3pm-12am.

Hollywood

Make your way through the secret entrance to this '70s-themed pad and head to the back porch and the totally drought-friendly AstroTurf lawn. Order a cocktail (or alcoholic sno-cone!) from the vintage trailer and some spicy pork belly sammies or Mexican street-corn from the grill, swing from a macramé chair, and wonder why the hell we ever left the '70s behind. Oh right -- disco.

Hollywood

Like the secret garden of the Sunset Strip, the beautiful back patio of this cabin-like bistro is a great place to plant yourself to escape the grit and heat of the street outside. Secure a spot at the bar and order up a bottled gin & tonic, an on-draught whiskey & ginger or any of their thoughtful cocktails (like the Dark Arts, with Scotch, Nocino, black lime, and yuzu bitters). The cozy front patio is also a great option for a secluded rendezvous.

Glassell Park

This well-stocked craft beer bar offers a spacious patio and plenty of picnic tables where you can leisurely sip away the hours. The bar rotates selections from 22 taps and plenty of hard-to-find bottles should give you plenty of ground to cover, while food trucks that post up at the service window in back will help keep you from floating away. Stop by Mon-Fri, 6pm-8pm or Sat-Sun, 3pm-7pm for $2 off select beer, wine, and well drinks.

Venice

The spacious patio of this new, vintage car-themed cocktail spot in Venice is where you’re going to want to park yourself this summer. Well-worn, antique seats, a large wooden table to share or several small nooks, stone tiles, and succulents, all give off the vibe that you’re in the backyard of the coolest auto shop ever. Besides well-crafted cocktails, you’ll find plenty of craft beers and wine, as well as a great selection of not-often-seen spirits.

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Arts District

The huge canopied patio at this Arts District mainstay is the perfect place to be the hero by ordering a round of Mason-jarred beers or craft cocktails for the crew. You’ll catch live music with no cover on the outdoor stage most nights and Tues-Thurs from 11pm-1am, you can score $5 beers and $5 whiskey shots. Hungry? Bar bites like mac & cheese bites, sliders, tacos, and more are on the menu. You’ll also find a smaller, cozier patio up front, as well as a large exterior smoking patio with fire pits, communal tables, and a new satellite bar.

Santa Monica

Sherman Oaks

You like craft beer. And at this point, we can safely assume you like drinking said craft beer outside. Now, we’re going to take a wild leap and say you probably don’t like being stuck in traffic, which makes this 405-and-101-adjacent bar with an excellent beer selection and laid-back patio where we’ll likely find you hiding during rush hour (and after, since Uber’s always an option).

North Hollywood

The newish Valley outpost of this Fairfax favorite offers ample room to drink like a lazy dog with a stylish 1,000sqft patio. You’ll find a well curated list of beer and wine, as well as standout cocktails like the sweet-spicy Dog Bite ,with jalapeño-infused tequila, strawberry, lime, cucumber, and cilantro. You can also chow down on some quality bites like their Swedish meatballs or BBQ pork belly sandwich or dig into some bigger dishes for a full meal. Swing by weekdays from 3pm-7pm for happy hour specials on food and drank.

Atwater Village-ish

Sure, the beer-giant-that-shall-not-be-named may have recently purchased this LA River-adjacent brewery, but Golden Road still pours some quality brews and have not one, but two (!) huge patios for your drinking pleasure. The giant Jenga on the side patio is usually dominated by somebody’s kid, so avoid a block to the head and make your way to the ping pong table and cornhole set-up in the back. Or just sit and drink your beer, that’s cool, too.

Silver Lake

While this historic restaurant is known for flamenco performances, its split-level, 16th-century Spanish-style courtyard really puts on a show of its own. Picture lush greenery, twinkling lights, and wide leather booths. And now, a new pop-up known as La Verbena takes over the patio Thurs-Sun evenings with table-side cocktails, acoustic sets, and DJs, and shareable bites hot off the grill.

Malibu

Pack a picnic and head to this shady grove just off Mulholland for a bit of wine tasting in the great outdoors. You can catch classic movie screenings on Thursday nights and even karaoke on the second Friday of the month, or you can just laze away a mellow afternoon if you prefer. Just be sure to get there early and stake out a table before the bachelorette parties arrive.

Agoura Hills

Nestled in the hills of Agoura beneath Ladyface Mountain (seriously, it’s a real place), the beautiful, shaded patio of this excellent brewery is a worthy place to devote several hours of your afternoon. You’ll sip award-winning, Belgian-style brews (or wine and cocktails if that’s your thing), devour some French-inspired fare and get the feeling that you’re closer to Europe than LA.

Downtown

As if the spectacular views from the patio of this sky-high restaurant weren’t enough to impress, Perch added a second bar one flight above, with 360-degree views to really seal the deal. You’ll find illuminated foliage, cozy lounge chairs, and cocktails like the appropriately lofty Saint Cloud with rye, lemon juice, and basil, as well as a special late-night menu in case the thought of going back down to earth is too much to bare.

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Danny Jensen is a regular Thrillist contributor who firmly believes drinks just taste better when you're outside. Follow him as he tests this theory on Instagram and Twitter.